


Click

by onenightgirl



Category: Blake Shelton (Musician), Gwen Stefani (Musician), The Voice (US) RPF
Genre: F/M, Finding Love, Fluff and Smut, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-02-19 10:13:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13121604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onenightgirl/pseuds/onenightgirl
Summary: A click can change everything...





	1. Prologue

  
Some people think that having two kids and a loving partner is enough to live an ideal life. Others find their happiness in expensive material things. Exist those who just want to be free without any limits, the dreamers and the ones who just don’t care at all. The truth is that it’s an impossible task to find out what’s the real right way to live. Everyone is different, every human is the creator of their own ideals. People can make plans, people can think they will be married with kids by thirty, with an amazing job which puts good money on their bank accounts once a month but the thing is that they will never know for sure what the future will bring. Some days life will be better, others worse and people have to accept that’s it’s how it works. So maybe making plans it’s not the best thing to do, or it is. It depends. Anyway, the only thing certain about life is it’s uncertainty.

This story is about a woman who made plans. As a little girl, she was genuinely naive and full of dreams. She lived her childhood fantasizing about getting married with her endless love with who she would have four beautiful kids, just like her parents did. She also dreamed about being a star, a singer, as she started writing her first songs at such a young age. She wanted to be surrounded by love every second of every day and wished to touch people’s heart with her gift, her voice and her lyrics, with music.

Years passed and one of her best friends and band mates became her first love. It was everything intense and messy. They were teenagers discovering new things and she was really that innocent to think he was it for her. Even though the relationship couldn’t be called stable, it lasted for years. When he, Tony, ended things with her becoming her first heartbreak ever, she turned all the pain, ache and rage into songs. That’s when her, Tom, Adrian, and yes, Tony began to be a known band inside the America, as well as in the rest of the world.

She was still friends and band mates with her first boyfriend when she met him, the one she married with. By that time she already was a famous singer and was building an absolutely amazing career as No Doubt’s lead singer. She was living one of her dreams but she needed more. She needed the right guy, the one who would be her endless love and the father of her four children. She thought Tony was it, but no. So finding Gavin was the perfect back up plan, at least it was what she thought back then.

She really tried. She stayed with that guy for 20 whole years. Most of that time she felt miserable but she didn’t want to fail. Fail her marriage, fail her beliefs, fail her still alive dreams. He didn’t give her a baby, he didn’t put enough effort on their relationship, plus he didn’t treat her right, not even close to it. She stayed loyal until the last second. He didn’t. She started faking smiles as the time went by, trying to sell the perfect life she didn’t have to the tabloids. She knew her marriage could blow up in her face anytime, and it did.

When it happened she couldn’t believe it. She thought her life was over. She felt so stupid for being played for so long, a complete blind idiot. When she found out about his affair, she ended what should have never started. Her unfaithful husband didn’t deserve her sweet, angelic self. He made her feel like garbage, meaningless, worthless. She deserved so much better, but it was too late for that in her mind. She had the career she always dreamed about but the most important part, her four kids and her endless love, were no where to be found. Her ideal life never stopped being a dream, her plans were just plans. Everything because certain choices she made weren’t right. But how could she have known?

Now the little girl is a 45-year-old divorced woman. No kids, no lover. She’s powerful, successful, an icon in the music industry. Her beauty can leave anyone on their knees and her sympathy is heart warming. She could have everything, but she feels empty handed. She’s probably never going to have a single baby, or find her endless love, so was any of her days worth it? She is hopeless now that her world turned upside down, now that life, her life, is full of the worst days. It’s about time for some better days to show up on Gwen Stefani’s calendar, and that’s where the next character comes in.

The only thing he was sure in his life was his dream of becoming a country singer. Everything he wanted to do was to sing his heart out and make his late brother, Richie, proud. He knew his older brother would always be watching him from afar, at least it was what he believed in. He left Ada, Oklahoma in direction to Nashville when he was only 17 years old, where he started as a songwriter. It was years later that, with the song Austin, he topped the country music charts and his dream finally began to come true.

Not much after that, he got married with Kaynette, his high school sweetheart, during a break of his tour with Toby Keith. The marriage didn’t last long and soon he engaged on another relationship. This one lasted way longer and the damage was way worse. His marriage was not going well, they barely saw each other, when he found out about her disgusting behavior. Filling for divorce was devastatingly painful, but it had to be done. He ended up being destroyed with the end of his second marriage. Before 40 and already divorced twice, his best friend became the alcohol.

Nowadays, with 39 years old, living in the City Of Angels, he is feeling out of place. He is there most of the time, alone. He is wife less in his rent, with his sanity almost fading away. He knows he is losing it, he knows he needs to keep it together and go to work, but how? He has the show, The Voice, to start filming but he couldn’t feel less up to it. It’s weird to feel this numb, it must be the alcohol affecting his brain.

He wants his house, in Oklahoma. He wants his mom by his side, to tell him everything will be alright even though it won’t. He wants the comfort he doesn’t have where he is, Los Angeles. He hates the city, he wants the woods. He wants the fresh air, the nature and not the pollution and urbanization. He wants peace and quiet, what he for sure will never have in that hell of a city. He just wishes he could leave it all behind and stay in a dark room until his last breath.

He is unhealthily losing weight, his blue eyes are losing more it’s beautiful sparkle day after day and his jokes practically don’t exist anymore. He thinks that’s it, he’s ruined for good. He didn’t make plans if everything suddenly exploded, and it did, and his life is over. He lost who he thought was the love of his life, everything suddenly became senseless. He’s at the rock bottom and needs salvation, he is at his worst days. Blake Shelton’s calendar also needs some better days in it.

This two people are lost, lonely. They are from completely different worlds, but ended up being on the same position. When their paths cross in a weird way, can they become what each other really need? Perhaps in a blink of an eye, it could get better, or worse. It’s just a click and everything changes. Hopefully for good.


	2. Talk A Little More

Her eyes are about to close when the annoying ring of her cellphone begins to echo through the black and white living room. Sleepily, Gwen makes her tired body get into a seated position on the leather couch so she can catch the disturbing advice. When her right hand grabs it from the coffee table, she clears her throat and answers the call but not before rolling her eyes as she reads who is the person calling her at such an inappropriate time.

“Hello Irving. It’s a little late for a call, isn’t it?” Her raspy voice sounds too rude even to her own ears.

“What? Gwen, honey, it’s not even 6pm.” The old man laughs slightly, trying to hide his concern. ”I’m sorry for interrupting your sleep but I have great news.”

Irving Azoff, Gwen’s manager, is one of the people who knows everything about the ruff time the singer is going through. He is aware of how she is in a dark place and need a way out as soon as possible. He is about to offer her something that he thinks would be good and exciting and listening that she was about to go to sleep at 6pm of a friday night only makes him want to hear her say yes to what he is about to propose even more.

“Wow. I thought it was close to midnight already.” She says now softly and with evident confusion in her tone, taking her hair out of her face. ”So, what is it?”

Gwen really doesn’t want to talk. She feels powerless, even though she spent all day doing nothing. She doesn’t have any motivation to do anything and her only wish is to close her eyes. Lately, sleeping is her favorite thing, just because it’s the only time that the pain takes it’s break.

“I’ll be quick.” He says, realizing his client isn’t really in the mood for a long conversation. “You received an offer to be a coach on the The Voice, the tv show.” He pauses waiting for any kind of reaction.

“Okay.” She let’s out with surprise, needing more information.

“It will be alongside Pharrell, that I know you love. Also Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are coaches in the show since season 1.” He informs and she hums, signaling for him to go on. “Carson Daly is the host and you would be a coach on season 9. You would start to film in June.”

“A tv show... I never thought about doing something like this.” Gwen whispers, unsure about what to think or do. “I don’t know nothing about this show, just knew about it’s existence to be honest.”

“I think this will be a good thing for you, Gwen. It’s fresh, it’s fun, it’s exactly what you need. You would be amazing as a coach, I’m sure.” Irving says encouragingly. “ Think about it, darling. I will email you the details. You have one week to give me your final answer.” He completes.

Biting her lower lip and playing with the holes in her jeans, she decides what to say next.

“Alright. I will think about it, no promises.”

Finishing the call, Gwen lays down on the couch once again. Yes, she lives in a mansion with a hundred comfortable beds but decides to stay at the couch. The truth is she just can’t find the strength to move since the moment she sat down 4 hours before and started crying over how unhappy she is. Maybe this tv show could distract her from the living hell her life is this days but she doesn’t want to think about it now. The only thing she wants at the moment is to finally shut her eyes, so she does it. Everything else can wait.

It’s when she wakes up the next morning that she feels slightly less exhausted. Getting up wasn’t as hard as the day before, she thinks, as she walks to her suite to take a shower. In less than 40 minutes she is ready to leave the house for the first time in 9 days. She is dressed in an outfit that in her mind wouldn’t call much attention and her makeup is beautifully basic. Her eminent beauty is there, so visible, likewise the sadness in her features. It’s not exactly what she wants, but she needs to go out, to feel like a human being again.

So, against her desire, she gets inside her car and drives to the nearest mall. She needs new things, things that don’t make her tear up by reminding her of that lying bastard of an ex husband. Gwen parks her car and takes her time in exiting it. Afraid of being recognized, she leaves the sunglasses on and stays looking down the more she can while she makes her way inside. As she wanders around the crowed corridors,her eyes try to find anything that could grab their attention. She enters some stores, buy some things but it’s not like she’s having fun. Well, at least she’s doing something, at least she’s up.

Suddenly, her deep thoughts are interrupted by a click. Yes, a camera click. She jumps on her feet and instantly directs her gaze to where the noise came, expecting to see a paparazzi. The first thing that reaches her vision is a cute brunette teenager and then, looking up, she finds a pair of blue eyes already looking at her. The owner of the beautiful eyes seems to notice how the click left Gwen startled. He is holding a phone in her direction, probably from where the click came from. He could either be taking a selfie with the teenager, who is by his side, or could be taking a picture of Gwen. The No Doubt’s lead singer really hopes it’s the first option.

“I’m sorry for startling you, we were just taking a selfie.” The guy says apologetically, his accent sounding so gentle.

She looks at the man in front of her with a barely there smile in between her lips, thanking God that he wasn’t a fan taking a picture of her that she would probably not look presentable. The teenager doesn’t even glance at Gwen, like she is hypnotized by the blue-eyed guy, who hands the girl her phone. 

“Thank you for the picture. I love you, Blake.” The brunette leaves squealing and the reaction makes Gwen curious.

Is this man famous? She asks herself. Looking at him carefully she notices how tall he is and the cowboy boots, as well as the jeans and the flannel. She remembers his southern accent and her gaze goes to his face. Gwen loses her balance when he ,out of nowhere, cutely smiles at her, his dimples popping out, making her heart weirdly skip a beat.

“I’m Blake Shelton, if you are wondering.” He presents himself, offering his hand for her to shake.

Blake feels like he shouldn’t be a fanboy now. She, Gwen Freaking Stefani, is in front of him and to his eyes seems not in her best days. She is so beautiful, he thinks to himself, but she really looks down. By the way she got by the click of the camera, he understood that she doesn’t want to be recognized. He only decides to introduce himself since it’s noticeable how curious Gwen was left seeing the teenager fangirling over him.

“Blake Shelton from The Voice? Oh my God!” She exclaims, shaking his hand for a brief second.

She remembers Irving saying this name just yesterday, Blake Shelton. Putting the pieces together she figures out that he’s a country singer. A handsome, blue-eyed, tall, dimpled country singer. How weird is that this guy in front of her can be her coworker in less than a month? She just needs to say yes.

“Are you a fan?” He jokingly asks, with that breathtaking dimpled smile out.

Oh no, Gwen thinks. He is also the funny guy. She finds herself smiling against her will, it’s just impossible not to. She can tell he knows who she is, but also introducing herself seems the right thing to do.

“Not exactly. I’m Gwen, Gwen Stefani.” She says and he let’s out a deep belly laugh, making her giggle.

“That one hurt.” He jokes and she just shakes her head. “But it’s a pleasure to meet the legendary Gwen Stefani, yeah I know who you are.”

“You’re funny.” It’s like she can’t stop smiling and she missed this feeling, oh, so much. “You know, I received an offer from The Voice to be a coach on season 9 but I don’t know exactly what to expect of the show.” She comments randomly, not even understanding her own tongue.

“I was told. I got a little nervous at first since I’m a Gwen Stefani and No Doubt fan.” Blake said and she laughed beautifully to his ears. “Do you have time? We can grab a coffee and I can explain some of the stuff to you. Maybe I can convince you to accept the deal... Who am I kidding, I will convince you.” He winked confidently.

She has all the time. He has too, since he just dragged his ass out of the bed to buy a gift to his nephew, who’s birthday party is next week. In months, it’s the first time he feels good. Blake feels weirdly good to be around this woman who he doesn’t know at all. He feels comfortable to joke again, to smile again, to ask someone to grab a coffee again and all this with a completely stranger. Well, not completely, it’s Gwen Stefani. Now he wants so badly to make her enter the painel of coaches. Why is that? He has absolutely no idea, he just feels like it.

Her eyes found his and she can only think about how she wants to talk with him a little more. He made her smile and that’s rare nowadays. He really can help her understand more of the tv show she may or may not be soon a coach in. He can tell her if it really could be exciting and fun, something to take her out of the misery she’s living in. She knows him for about 3 minutes and she feels that they could just talk about whatever and it would be fine. Why say no to an innocent coffee, right?

“I have time.” She mirrors the smile he was giving her. “Convince me.”

Soon the two strangers are ordering their coffees at the first coffee shop they could find inside the mall. 


	3. New Acquaintance

They found a quiet, small coffee shop at the mall, where they are now inside. After the waitress quickly gets their orders, apparently not recognizing the famous pair, Gwen decides to take her sunglasses off, exposing her sad brown eyes for the first time to the man in front of her. She regrets that a second after, when Blake seems to get lost in her orbs, his gaze so deep, making her feel like he could see all of her ugliest secrets just like that.

The moment he looks into the chocolate immensity of her eyes, he inexplicably sees how broken that beautiful woman is, how hard life must be to her this days and it’s like he is looking to himself in a mirror. He knows he should stop staring, he is probably scaring her away, but he feels like her eyes are screaming for the help her mouth is afraid to ask. It’s not because he is unhappy that he wants to see other people be unhappy too and that’s why he decides to try and make her smile as much as possible, at least in this probably brief conversation.

They are still hypnotized by each other’s gaze when the waitress is back with Gwen and Blake’s dark coffees. To be honest, neither of them is a big fan of caffeine, however the hot liquid seems right in this occasion. With the interruption and the realization that their intense eye contact lasted minutes, the blonde feels her cheeks warm up as she finally looks away.

“So, what do you wanna know about The Voice, Gwen Stefani?” Blake questions, calling for her attention.

She feels obligated to look at the handsome man again, catching him taking the first sip of his coffee. He gives her a small smile, that she reciprocates, feeling her not-so-common shyness making an unwanted appearance.

“Well, I need an entire lesson about the show, to be completely honest with you.” Gwen admits shyly, tapping her fingers slightly on her cup of coffee. “And please, call me Gwen.”

“Of course, Gwen.” He gives emphasis to her name, causing his accent to be even stronger and a stunning smile to crept into her features. One real smile, Blake starts counting. “So before I start talking about The Voice, I need to say that you look cute when you get all shy, Gwen.” He comments, trying to earn another breathtaking smile from her.

Mission accomplished. That’s two real smiles in ten seconds. She giggles and simply as that her nerves seem to evaporate. Gwen stops herself from saying he’s the cute one, she can’t understand from where that thought came from, and tries to concentrate on what they are really here to.

“Stop it, Blake!” She whines, making him chuckle lowly. “Tell me about the show, please.” Sipping her dark coffee, the blonde accommodates herself better in the dining chair and waits for her new acquaintance to begin informing her.

“Okay. So you probably know there are four coaches.” He starts and she nods. “On season 8 the coaches are me, Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams and Christina Aguilera. I know you are friends with Pharrell and also collaborated with Adam, so this is a good thing, right? You are familiar with everyone that will be on season 9, probably with Carson too, our host.” Blake pauses, as she just nods again and directs him a smile (that makes three of them) signaling for him to continue, so he obeys. “There are the blind auditions, where we can’t see the contestants at first. If we press our chair’s button, turning the chair, it means we want the artist on our teams and if more than one coach turns for the contestant we need to fight for him/her to pick us.”

“Wait, so the blind auditons are the first phase, right? How many artists can we have in the beginning?” She asks, trying to put the pieces together.

“Yeah. We need to have 12 each coach. After that we have the Battles, where we cut our original team in half, but have the possibility to steal two contestants from other teams.” He says before laughing when seeing confusion take over the female singer’s features.

“Wow there are many details.” She grins between giggles, causing his smile to grow big in his face. Her fourth smile since the beginning of their talk. “Just tell me how many phases exist on the show and I will read the email my manager sent me yesterday. I think I can’t escape from the long reading if I’m entering The Voice.” She speaks while accepting the fact that it is impossible to understand that complex show with a simple conversation.

“So you are entering the show? I told you I would convince you, Gwen. That was easy.” He said teasingly, looking satisfied. “And the phases are the blinds, the battles, the knockouts and then the lives.”

“First: I didn’t say that, I said if, so stop flattering yourself, Blake Shelton.” Gwen allows herself to smile like she didn’t have in a long time, plus to think about how his name rolls perfectly off her tongue, before completing “Second: you just spoke chinese to me. I really do need to read that email tho.”

“You really need to read it, Gwen.” He adds, drinking a little bit more of his now almost cold coffee.

The conversation about the tv show went on and on. The truth is that neither of them want to lose each other’s company and say goodbye. They are so comfortable here, together, talking as long time friends and drinking the not-so-yummy coffee, that going back to reality seems like something against the law. It’s the first time in months that they stopped thinking about the darkness in their life, even if just for a little while, and they don’t want this time to be over, which is sadly unavoidable. Gwen talks about a few of her collaborations with Pharrell and listens to Blake saying how much of a moron Adam is. She laughs and smiles all the time and he accomplishes his goal of making her precious smile come into sight as many times as possible. The conversation between them is so easy and joyful that they only stop talking when Gwen’s vibrating phone interrupts her excited speech.

“...And I - Wait, I think someone sent me something.” She slows down, grabbing her iphone to check the message. “Wow, it’s almost 1pm already!” She notices as she reads the text where her sister-in-law was inviting her over for lunch.

Blake is also surprised by how fast time went by. They must be talking for more than an hour, that looks like only 10 minutes. He feels his heart shattering with the consciousness that they would go parted ways too soon for his taste, and Gwen feels the exact same way.

“I didn’t even notice we talked for this long.” He breathed out with sadness, straightening his cap.” I think I better go and let you do the things you have to do, right?” Forcing out a smile, he takes his wallet out of his jeans pocket and grabs some money to pay the bill.

She mirrors his smile, and her small hand flies over the table, touching his wrist out of a reflex, to stop him from paying for her order. The touch feels like pure electricity, making them both shiver and her back away instantly.

“Blake, you don’t need to pay for my coffee.” She only has the strength to whisper, the warm of his skin still present on her fingertips.

“I’m southern, which means I’m a gentleman. I would never let a beautiful lady pay for her coffee on my presence.” He winks, trying to disguise how affected he was by her quick and gentle touch.

“Alright then, southern boy.” With her cheeks slightly red by the compliment, she smiles shyly and put once again her sunglasses on. “Thank you for the talk, Blake. I have to go, my sister-in-law just invited me for lunch.” She announces, her tone not as excited as 5 minutes before.

“I loved our talk but not much the coffee.” He jokes, causing her to laugh out loud and agree. “See you in three weeks at The Voice set, okay buddy?”

“Let’s see about that...” She smiles and teases but her decision about the show is already completely made. “Hopefully see you soon, Blake. Bye, bye.” She gets up from the chair she was sitting, waving him goodbye, afraid that a hug would be, or feel too weird.

“Bye, Gwen.” He gives her one last dimpled smile, and her legs betray her want of staying there with her new friend, walking her out of that tiny coffee shop in a painfully quick way.

When Blake loses the beautiful blonde of his sight, he takes a deep breath and thinks about how her smiles made his day, even his week. He thinks about her fingers on his wrist and how the barely there touch felt electrical. He thinks about how sad she looked at first and how he felt like he could relate to that stunning woman somehow. However, the thing that occupies most of his mind is how he felt so comfortable around the Gwen Stefani and how weird was to meet and talk to her, everything because of a picture with a fan. She needs to accept The Voice’s offer, he thinks to himself, shaking his thoughts away, to finally pay the bill and leave the coffee shop behind.

“Life is crazy...” He whispers only to his own ears.

In the meantime, Gwen was trying her hardest to not look back at him. She could feel his gaze on her, which was causing a small smile to stay glued on her face. This Blake guy for sure would be in her mind for the next few days, and she was extremely thankful for that. Finally something besides the bad things in her life would occupy her thoughts. How comfortable and shy he made her feel all at the same time, she wouldn’t forget so soon. She also wouldn’t forget how his skin felt in contact with her fingers or how deep he looked into her eyes, making her feel totally exposed. His country accent, ocean blue eyes and dimples had her attention, just like his gentleman and funny side. She doesn’t know a thing about him, the stranger that feels like a friend already, but there’s something about the guy... Everything about this is insane, she thinks. Opening her car’s door and sitting at the drivers seat, she bits her lower lip and giggles.

“Maybe becoming a coach at The Voice won’t be a bad thing, right Gwen? You are familiar with everyone there, now including Blake. It could be fun.” She talks to herself, turning the engine on so she can drive to her brother’s house. “I’m gonna read that email when I get home.” 


	4. So They Meet Again

That afternoon, Gwen got home after lunch with her sister-in-law and her brother, searching for her laptop immediately. Reading carefully the detailed email it was sent to her, she didn’t waste time to inform Irving of her final decision about The Voice’s offer. She only had to say something about it in six days by that time, but, with her new acquaintance in mind, she did what felt right. And what felt right was accepting it. She could sense that she was finally making a correct decision in her life, what easily could be compared to a sparkle in the deep black whole she was in.

Three weeks flied by and all of a sudden it’s the day of the first meeting and the initial tappings of season 9. Blake didn’t hear nothing about the blonde ska singer since the day they unexpectedly met, but her sad, hypnotizing chocolate eyes and beautiful, heartbreaking smile are still fresh in his mind as day one. How he felt around her, almost happy, let’s say, he wouldn’t forget that. So, as he arrives at The Voice set at Universal Studios, he, Blake Shelton, feels for the first time a little bit nervous for getting back to work.

He anxiously walks to his well known trailer, where in less than half an hour he gets ready for the first tv show related activities to begin. Blake is one of the first ones to step into the conference room. He recognizes all the few faces that reach his sight, but the one he aspires to see the most is not there, not yet. Sighting heavily, the country artist puts his thoughts about the unforgettable blonde woman aside for now, so he can warmly properly greet the crew he has been working with for so long.

Is when he is engaged in a conversation with Carson Daly, the show’s host, that a sweet, appealing voice catches his complete attention. Blake can stop his heart from weirdly start beating a little faster than it should, as the palms of his hands get sticky due to his sudden nervousness. Turning his head in the direction of the soft, not so familiar sound, he sees Adam and Mark speaking to her, the woman that invaded his thoughts with no invitation just some weeks ago, and it’s like his world stops and she’s the only person besides him inside the room. _How can I breathe with her looking that beautiful?_ He thinks and is aware of what a fool he should look at the moment and it’s all confirmed when his friend and co-worker calls for his name with a slight chuckle.

“Blake, man, are you alright?” Carson questions with his brows arched, realizing what, better, who the cowboy was hypnotized by. “The Gwen Stefani effect, huh?“

When the singer notices someone is talking to him, he shakes his head quickly, clearing his throat right after.

“What did you just said, buddy?” His clearly confused features make Carson laugh shortly.

“Blake, I know this is the first time you see Gwen and she really is something else, but you look stupid and she’s coming our way so compose yourself, please.” The host gives him a pat on the back and a funny look, leaving the country singer alone after being called for someone from the production. 

Before Blake has the time to answer, tell Carson he already knows the new the voice coach, or to even react in any suitable way, a small hand touches his shoulder and he has no doubts, he couldn’t forget this touch; it’s _her_.

Gwen is nervous for a series of motives. She is starting a brand new job in television today, which brings up a lot of insecurities. She doesn’t know if she is ready to be such a public person again, she has no idea if she will be a great coach to the young, fresh voices who dream to become a star, or if her sadness would be too visible for the people who will work with her. Well, those are some of her maybe too many concerns, but what really makes her nerves go wild is the thought of seeing the country guy who made her want to take the job in the first place. She is aware there are no good reasons to be this tense because of someone she barely knows, however the country singer made her feel some weird things with his intense gaze and the simple fact that he was capable of making her smile and feel comfortable around him, a stranger.

Gwen thinks she is being silly, probably the guy, Blake, doesn’t even remember her and their conversation at the mall. She really hopes he does, though. Having him in her thoughts for this short period of time is making her go nuts, and it would be easier if he felt the same way about her, it would make her feel less stupid, for sure. So, with her mind full and her face almost bare, Gwen hesitantly puts her shades on, leaving her giant, empty mansion behind to search for some of the happiness her ex husband took from her life with cruelty, perhaps she will be able to find it in her work, or maybe in the arms of a person she can relate with, but that she still doesn’t know.

Arriving at the set makes her insides shake with both excitement and apprehension. However, she has no time to feel much. The moment her shoes collide with the parking lot’s floor, someone from the staff of The Voice quickly starts approaching her, what makes Gwen worry if the poor woman, now in front of her, was waiting for her arrival for already too long.

“Miss Stefani! Hi, I’m Claire and I was asked to show you around the set before the first meeting.” The brunette lady, probably around her thirties, says calmly with a sympathetic smile plastered on her face.

“Oh, hi! I’m Gwen!” The new coach states the obvious, making her company giggle quietly. “I really hope I’m not late and I’m so sorry if I made you wait out here for me for too long, Claire.” She apologizes, putting her hand out speedily for the other to shake, which Claire does happily.

“Oh no! No need to apologize, I’m waiting here for less than 5 minutes.” The The Voice’s employee explains. “So, let’s start the tour?”

“If you don’t mind, I want to dress up first, my glam team is getting in here soon.” Gwen claims, thinking about how terrible she must look in just her jeans and a simple blouse. “After I’m all ready, I’ll be happy if you show me everything in this place.” She adds sweetly.

“Of course. Danilo, Gregory and Mariel are already here, by the way.” Claire implies, starting to walk to the closest door. “I will walk you to your trailer.”

Soon Gwen is inside her trailer, where she is instantly greeted by her friends. They talk for some minutes about superficial things and all of the three could see that the music star was airy, very different from her funny, spontaneous self. The glam team, knowing about her recent and still not public divorce, tries to cheer her up a bit, but little do they know that her failed marriage is not the main subject stealing her attention. Mariel begins showing the ska singer outfits, with the idea that maybe dressing a little boldly would make her more self-confident. All the options are stunning, but Gwen doesn’t take long to make a decision about what she will be wearing.

“Um, I think I’m gonna go with the short, cute Elie Saab one.” Gwen declares, picking up the beautiful couture dress in her manicured hands.

“I was hoping you would choose that one, you will look like an angel.” Mariel comments, causing the singer to shyly giggle.

“I agree. Everyone will be hypnotized by you, honey.” Danilo chimes in. “A straight hair with slight curls in the ends will go beautifully with it.”

“Yes! And a soft makeup to finish the look.” Gregory speaks up. “Gwen, I’m sure you will take everyone’s breath away.” He assures honestly.

 _I hope it takes his breath away,_ she whispers to herself only, soon realizing how out of her mind she must be right now. Nevertheless, she can’t stop the desire of seeing a guy she saw once in her life to keep increasing second after second.

“So, how do I look? Is this okay?” Gwen questions, standing in her high nude Christian Louboutin pair of heels.

The short dress, a mixture of white, gold and nude, fits like a glove in her sculptured body along with the also nude fishnets. The way her rosy glossy lips shine, matches perfectly with the platinum blonde hair that falls over her naked shoulders. She is mesmerizing and it’s hard to explain how someone can make broken look so beautiful.

“You look gorgeous!”

“Amazing!”

“Wow, you are a goddess!”

Thanking her team’s compliments with a huge smile, a few words and long hugs, she finally leaves the trailer and quickly finds Claire, who shows her around the fastest she could, since the meeting with all the crew was soon starting.

“To complete our tour, here is the conference room, Miss Stefani.” Claire says, opening the door to a big room full of people. “And you look beautiful.”

“Thank you so much, Claire. And please, call me Gwen.” She winks, squeezing the brunette’s arm before stepping inside the crowded area with a confidence she can’t remember having in these past months.

The first known face her eyes catch a glimpse is Adam Levine’s. They collaborated once and he emailed her some days ago when discovering about her acceptance of the show’s offer. Gwen thinks he is a sweet guy and doesn’t want to be all by herself, so she doesn’t think twice to walk in his direction.

“Hi, Adam.” She calls for his name softly and when his eyes fall on her he opens a big grin.

“Oh my God, Gwen! How long has it been?” Adam exclaims excitedly. “I can’t believe I’m going to work with you again, you are a legend! And you look like an angel!” He speaks so fast, making the female singer almost don’t understand a word he just said.

“Aw, thank you! You’re funny.” She laughs. “And thank you for emailing me, that was sweet of you.” She adds and he nods.

“I’m awesome, get used to it.” Adam teases. “No, seriously, it was my pleasure. I really meant it when I said that this show is amazing, you’re gonna love every second of it.”

“I really hope so.” The ska singer answers with a smile.

For a moment, Gwen looks around the place, scanning it slowly. Her heart skips a beat and the anxiety takes herself all over again when she spots her long time friend Carson Daly talking with a handsome, tall figure. The male figure has his hair all in the right place, very differently from how it was the first time she saw him. The jacket that suits him perfectly was covering a simple plaid that goes along so well with his jeans and, of course, the cowboy boots. He was more dressed up, but his handsome features uncover his disguise; it’s _him_. She focuses her vision on the guy, who seems too distracted by the talk with the show’s host, until Adam snaps her out of her hypnosis. 

“So, I’m going to introduce you to some people, okay?” The lead singer of Maroon 5 announces and she just nods a little.

Adam introduces her to some people of the staff and they stop to speak with Mark Burnett, one of The Voice’s producers. He happens to be standing not too close, but close enough to the one who Gwen really wants to be noticed by.

“Gwen, I’m so glad you are joining our painel of coaches!” Mark admits smiling.

“Me too. I think I made the right decision.”

And it’s when she speaks those words that she feels a gaze on her. She doesn’t know how, but she is aware of who is the one staring and it’s hard to stop her stupid self from grinning. _Why am I feeling this way?_ She asks her brain, but gets no answer back. For a minute she talks some more with Adam and Mark, trying to be polite, but the truth is that she can’t stand it anymore, she wants to say at least a “hi” to _him_ before the meeting really starts.

“Gwen, I want to introduce you to an idiot but good friend of mine now. C’mon, he’s right over there.” Adam says, making her grin wildly knowing who he is talking about.

“Okay.” She breathes out, biting her lower lip slightly.

 _So he didn’t tell Adam about meeting me at the mall, maybe he doesn’t remember me, after all_. She sighs sadly, but follows Adam anyway, she needs to be sure. In a heartbeat his back is in front of her, and the first reaction she has is to touch it, feeling his body tense up under the small palm of her left hand. As if in slow motion, he turns to face her, her chocolate eyes instantly finding his unforgettable blue ones and they both can’t help but smile genuinely, even if what they felt inside was too weird to be described.

“Hey, Blake. Do you remember me?” Gwen teases, knowing by the way he is looking at her that he remembers her too well.

“Remember you? How could I not? I’m surprised and flattered that a beautiful woman like you remembers me after just a talk.” The country singer states, making her blush effortlessly.

“Well, I really enjoyed talking to you.” She giggles shyly, hearing words leave her mouth with no permission.

They stare at each other for a few seconds, it’s like they can’t disconnect, like their eyes are the most powerful kind of magnets.

“I’m really happy you accepted the offer.“ Blake breaks the short period of silence, brushing his fingers against her arm softly.

“I probably wouldn’t have accepted it if it wasn’t for our talk. Everything you said helped me decide, like, a lot.” She smiles again, feeling chills consume her as his fingers touch her skin over the thin fabric of her dress.

Their connection is suddenly interrupted by a surprised Adam.

“Do you guys already know each other?” He questions in a funny way with confused features. “How do you know this moron?”

Gwen and Blake look at him and laugh loudly seeing his totally understanble but comical confusion. How do a ska singer that lives in Los Angeles knows a country one that spends most of his time in Oklahoma? To the eyes of every person on earth they have absolutely nothing in common, except that now both are coaches on The Voice. They are aware of the weirdness of the situation.

“Well, we met accidentally at a mall some weeks ago.” Gwen explains still giggling. “I had no idea who he was but we kinda bumped into each other and he introduced himself.” She looks at Blake, who smiles cutely at her.

“We didn’t bumped into each other but alright.” He jokes and adds, “When I said my name this lady here freaked out and asked me if I was the Blake Shelton from The Voice.”

“Like, I just got a little surprised with what a coincidence it was. One day before that I received the offer to be a coach in here and my manager told me Blake Shelton was one of the coaches. ” She rolls her eyes and continues, “To cut the long story short, we ended up having coffee and this guy explained me some things about the show.”

“I convinced you to take the job. I told you I would.” Blake smiles playfully, flattering himself.

“You were indeed very convincing, Blake Shelton.” Gwen admits, not avoiding his intense stare.

“Wow, all of this is so weird.” Adam finally opens his mouth to talk, the confusion not gone at all. “If I didn’t know you two just met, I would think you are like best friend or something. It’s like you have a chemistry and this is so, so, so akward.” He laughs, shaking his head while looking at them in disbelief.

Before Gwen or Blake have time to say anything, Carson is announcing the beginning of the first meeting of season 9. They just stand there, looking at each other, not even pretending to listen to the words that the host was pronouncing. What Adam said echoes through Gwen’s mind and she becomes shy towards the southern man in front of her, what makes her gaze hurriedly fall to the ground. Blake is about to call for her attention again when he hears his friend whisper in his ear some dangerous words.

“We need to talk after this meeting is over.” Adam states with concern consuming his tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I just want to thank who comments and leaves kudos in this fic. It makes me happy to know you enjoy reading this . Thank you, thank you, thank you! 
> 
> Also there are some things I want to say:
> 
> • This fic, as you can probably understand reading this few chapters, will not have much of what we know as their real love story.
> 
> • Yes, this fic starts in 2015 and I don’t know yet if it will get to the present.
> 
> • Who wants a picture of the dress Gwen wears in this chapter can ask me anytime cause I have no idea if I can attach a photo to the chapter like it’s possible on Wattpad.
> 
> • I’m so sorry for any typos, english is not my first language, I’m to lazy to read the chapter until I find all mistakes and I don’t use any translator so, I’m sorry again.


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